Identity Cubed brings new sounds to city

“I am excited to see a percussion group in Sturgis,” said Jill Toner of Sturgis, who came to Saturday’s Identity Cubed show at Sturges-Young Auditorium with her family.

Laura Kurella

“I am excited to see a percussion group in Sturgis,” said Jill Toner of Sturgis, who came to Saturday’s Identity Cubed show at Sturges-Young Auditorium with her family.“I heard about the show on pubic radio,” said Kathy Orsted, who traveled from Portage to see the group. “I heard that they play non-traditional instruments and I have never experienced a percussion group before so I am looking forward to it,” she said.The show opened with the Identity Cubed trio taking the stage, which was cluttered with numerous musical instruments, but dominated by a few large marimbas and a vibraphone.The trio opened with a piece called Belford, which they performed in precision on opera gongs placed horizontally on a foam-lined table, before moving with machine-like maneuvers to performing a very melodic piece on three marimbas -“C sharp Bach.”The trio then moved on to “table music”, which was exactly as described.The three sat at a table that supported three pieces of wood tabletops and performed what they described as “Ballet for the Hands,” where the trio kept in total sync with each other in both sound and movement.In a question and answer session after the show, the trio revealed that they spent a good hour in Lowe’s tapping on different wood to find the right wood for this number.Watching their hands move in perfect synchronicity, while creating music with nothing more than the tapping of their hands, Identity Cubed rapped, tapped and clapped out a tune that while comprised totally from sounds made from hand hitting wood, created a unique cypress symphony.After a brief intermission, which the group spent adding and removing musical instruments to the stage, the second half began with, “Out of Frame,” a piece a composer sent to them, which they performed on the large marimbas.This heavenly-sounding piece evoked a very peaceful, serene feeling.With hints of tropical vibrations, the happy, peaceful, uplifting feeling their music exuded felt at times whimsical and dreamlike.The trio treated the audience to their own composed piece, “Vintage Clock Patterns,” which was broken into five movements — all inspired by timepieces. The first movement was inspired by old timepieces that ran fast. The second was about a stopwatch, the third about a grandfather clock; the fourth about ticking and the fifth was about the quartz itself.The tune, which was played out on piano, vibraphone, snare drum, cymbal, wind chime, and a cello bow string strummed against the tiles of a vibraphone, incredibly created all the sounds that clocks are known to make.Moving back to the marimbas, the trio performed, “Sculptures in Wood,” which sounded very reminiscent of songs one might hear in a supper club during the ’70s – very relaxing and mellow in both melody and movement. Closing with a wild and crazy tune the trio strategically snapped out on three snare drums surrounded by bongos and opera gongs, Identity Cubed ended the night on a high, sharp note that displayed the group’s past drum line discipline, performing with such exact precision that it felt like you were watching a performance at a drum corp competition.“They were incredible!” said Hank Schultz of Sturgis. “I was very impressed how they made music from all kinds of things and never missed a beat and always remained in perfect sync with one another. It was a truly polished performance and I am glad I got to see it here – right at home - in Sturgis!”